For seventeen weeks scaffolders at the Eldon Square site in Newcastle have been on strike against victimisation for union activities. They have faced a united opp osition of the full time officials of the T&GWU and UCATT, McAlpine's, the Labour Council, and the police. On I0 March, ten of their pickets will come up in court on trumped-up charges. But there must be 'no more Shrewsburys'. The ten must be defended now.
Newcastle International Marxist Group, which has been active in building support for the strike has produced this special report for fed Weekly. It reveals a picture of professional scabbing by the local leaderships of the building unions and a web of corruption involving the Labour Council. By contrast, the fact that the scaffold Scaffolders Eddie Brady (left) and Davie Deans (right).
What has been the attitude of the local Labour Council to your dispute?
DD: The attitude of the Council has Seen to back McAlpine's 100%. Withoul ever listening to our case, without ever consulting the scaffolders, they've decided so oppose us.
The whole complex is costing them 140 million and a lot of this is coming from the Council, so they have a big say In what goes an on the site If they wished to they could crack the whip and MeApine's would come to heel tomorrow, but they've refused to do so.
- Do you think things would be better if the Council took all responsibility for building in the town?
JW: I don't know what they're thinkWED WE HE DEE BACSO EACEDES in in the first place. Surely there's enough skilled men. joiners, bricklayers, scaffold a concreters —enough skilled men in this Town wao would work for the Councilll they would employ direct labour, which a done in other cities ers strike has been so solid is a tribute to their open and democratic methods of organisation.
To find out what's behind the strike, Red Weekly spoke to JACK WEBB (a scaffolder at the Finnegan's Old Town Hall site in Newcastle), KEITH MULLIGAN (scaffolder on the Leslie's site, Eldon Squarel, DAVIE DEANS (scaffolder at McAlpine's Eldon Square and member of the strike committee), EDDIE BRADY (scaffolder at McAlpine's Eldon Square and secretary of the 8/214 T&GWU branch committeel, and BRIAN CHAPMAN lone of the treasurers of the strike committeel.
We've heard a great deal about corruption in the Labour Party in the NorthEast in the last year or so, what with Dan Smith, Andy Cunningham, Poulson, ete What do you think about that?
ER: We think it's deplorable. It's not only in the North-Fast, this is right throu Look at Reggie Maudling 225,000 out of this Poulson affair, what's going to happen to him? He's in the shadaw cabinet now, isn't he. Why hasn't this feliow been charged!
BC: The problem is you never know always claiming money back saying no work's been done bocause of inclement walter. dustral disouts etc. Ther cat probably make mone money out of that than by finisling the contract helore coor - What do you think of the role your union officials have played in this dispute?
JW: The trade union officials have either shut their cyes to the whole question of the strike or they just don't want to know about it at all We tried for sin days to get the union official down to. this site with regard to thu scab labour that has gone on. They haven't any union cards. 1 penanally spoke to one of them and askod him if he was in a trade union. Ho said "yes so l asked him which one. He said he was in the TiC KM: On that point about the seahs they came down from Andync Point in Thing was fixed up for them Now they've pone hock to Andyne Point and are faily paid up members of UCATT! So these hakes just run around the vountry breaking strikes. At far as I can gather the same thing could happen up on Ardyne Point and that's why those men might Save been sent up there 1 think now s the time when a firm foot has got to be put down and these professional scabs stopped. ED: One other interesting thing is that Sheton, our trade union leader", has been the North-Fast Labour Party, This miche have something to do with the hostility shown to.us by the local Labour Party! He told me: "You might be able to get me out of this office, but at least when 1 leave this office I'll have a job to go to. Will you?" He's going to start petting into politics - dimp thes union mob, it's not good crough for him now!
DD: The union officials bave ignored the wishes of the memhers all along The point is that these officials are not elected and I'm sure if they were clected, and had to come up for to clection every one or two ycars, they wouldn't be laking Lic attitude they are now -Could you say something about the picketing ut the Eidon Square site? How does it fit in with the question of the Shrewsbury pickets?
KM: The way that the situation relates to the Shrewsbury 2 is that at the moment we've got 10 men up in court just for standing on the picket line. After Licac 10 have been lo court and the silustion in Newt astle has cooled down a bit, the same Ling mipt happen as happened to the Shrew shury 2. Some lad might be in bed one night and the lawmen will ouce and say, "right, you're nicked", just because they organised the pickel, which anyone would do.
I think now is the time to stop these people-the police, the Goernment and the McAlpine's -hecause if they get away with it in Newcastle they'll do it all over the country.
own orgutsitions. The vast amolints of money und the expense of the workers weight to help them? STALLICS -There are 14,000 families on the housing waiting list in Newcastle at the moment, yet the council are building projects like Eldon Square, big shopping centres, office blocks. ete. What do you think about that?
BC: Well I think it's all wrong. I'm, looking for a biger place at the moment as l'is Detag in a bachelor flat with my wife I's all wrong -houses should come before shops and offices any day. Thor's millions of square foct of shop and office space lying empty all over Nowcastle. I Wold moch sooner boldl houses.
- What about the Social Contract?
cortract, it's an anti-social contracr. lE Is intended to salit workur, to knock the workers down once aral over weeds and players who already make huge profils at According to the Siening Chronicie, the scaffolders on Tyneside are now a force to be reckoned with JE SOO badly organised section of workers was in struggle, would you use that DD: Wear building workers will come to the ail of any section of the working class in dispute with their employers Whether it's apainst private or public carplayers, if they need our help we will give LETS DESOLISED HAMKES to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters in other industries who are not as well organised as themscios, to give them moral and financial balp in all their WI Three hundred scaffolders on Tynes strike. Most of us have been out no We came out in support of the 50 se Alpine's Eldon Square site in Newca started 16 weeks ago and 14 men we On 12 November 1974 we her a discuss safety and conditions on the meeting 14 men clocked out not u ing industry. The next day the 14 re were retused entry which is unusu industry. As far as we are concerned case of victimisation. The 14 wero si other than organising the union on Six months ago there was hardly isation of scaffolders on Tyneside. S built up a T&GWU branch into abo The Eldon Square scaffolders were 1 ball rolling by organising their own the union branch.
McAlpine's knew this. Never befi union organisation in the area. Eldo key to unionisation on Tyneside. If ted they have smashed effective uni all sites in the area After 10 weeks of the strike MicA a strike breaking force supplied by ing. London. They ware paid four ti up in the best hotels, and driven thr lines at high speed by Godfrey Davi officials condemned us for intimida